How it Works

What does a NOAA weather buoy 3000 miles away in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean have to do with snow in Utah, Colorado & Wyoming? Good question! Since the dawn of time, humans have been trying to plan their powder days, a futile feat… until now. Is it magic? Is it science? Is it dumb luck? The answer may be yes to all of the above, but more than anything, the Powderbuoy is all about a positive vibration and energy that connects soul riders around the world.

““Yeahbuuuuooooyyyyyy””

- William Jonathan Drayton Jr.

It All Starts With the Buoy

Deep in the North Pacific, a lonely NOAA buoy floats, diligently collecting all sorts of weather data. No friends on a powder day? This lonely buoy may think its only friends are the passing birds who may stop by for a few; little does the buoy know how much happiness and joy it brings to people around the world on powder days.

Weather Prediction

Tracking buoys is nothing new; surfers have followed buoys since Gary Busey was dropping in on Big Wednesday to find out when swells are going to hit specific breaks. The Powderbuoy uses these same NOAA buoys in Hawaii and tracks the same energy that surfers ride in waves in Hawaii to forecast snow that we ride in our mountains. When the buoy pops, two weeks later you’re going to want to clear your calendar.

Plan Your Powder Flu

Don’t let those sick days go to waste, plan your flu and go get you some! That TPS report can wait for another day, you’ve got powder to ski. Yeahbuoy!

Go to the Buoy Dashboard

From the Blog

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The Atmospheric Sciences Department at the University of Utah is one of the best, if [...]

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From Instagram

This is the next potential shot for a storm around the 24th and then another one looks to be on deck for the 28th, slim pickins out there

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My wife makes fun of me for always coming home saying it was the best day ever. These are a few of those days.
My Seth Morrison Hestras have been with me for 12 seasons — first hikes with my kids, big AK lines, countless days in the Wasatch, and last month touring Japan with my son. He’s on his third season in his own pair now of @hestragloves . Working his way up. 
#yeahbuoy #builttolast #hestra #hestramemories

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We should see a good pattern of snow starting on the first and lasting until the 8/9th, there’s a lull after that and looks like it could pick back up again around the 24th.

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One two punch coming…. Sorry I couldn’t help myself. #dadjokes #yeahbuoy

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Next stop lining up for the 27th and then into the first few days of march. The buoy has been on a pretty consistent bounce out there looks to be rolling through the 24th. That puts march 5th to 10th on the radar. Time for this season to redeem itself #yeahbuoy

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Fresh off the wire, official Alta snow lab report just in. Lab deep out there #yeahbuoy

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Here’s our storm lining up for the 23/24th. It may have been a rough month of no snow, but hey, Dow over 50,000.

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The universe is aligning and pointing in the right direction. Buoy was popping this week and will be this weekend so looks like snow into the beginning of march. It’s about damn time!  #yeahbuoy

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Yes!! Lots of activity over the next week in the pacific, keeping da buoy bouncing,

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Japowdreaming… snow in and around the face. #yeahbuoy

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Another buoypop out in Hawaii if this goes as planned should land after Valentine’s Day. This storm leading up into Valentine’s Day is still a little messy, but keeping my fingers crossed.#yeahbuoy

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The porcupine has spoken, 6 more weeks of winter…. Hopefully real winter, not this sunny and warm version of winter. On a bright note, it was a nice day for a hike yesterday, spent 6 hours hiking looking for my snow labs who decided to break the electronic fence first thing in the morning. They may be sore and in trouble.

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Fresh powder….er, groomerbuoy merch for sale. Link in profile. Desperate times call for desperate measures. #yeahbuoy

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Looks like we may see a shift in the matrix right before and after Valentine’s day. We could use the love this season. Looks like another sunny weekend primed for fresh corduroy, giddy up.

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Do you like the sweet sweet sound of corduroy in the morning? Or maybe that noon groomer rooe drop. Have you actually tuned your skis….ever? Wait no more! Groomerbuoy is here to say that skiing groomers can be fun. Snow is snow, even if it’s machine made granular “packed powder”. Don’t let them high pressure blues get you down.

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